Jolt to Bengal BJP as Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh returns to TMC

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Addressing a press conference after joining the ruling TMC in the presence of its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee at his Camac Street office in Kolkata, the Barrackpore MP said, “The way TMC is working on the development of Bengal is worth appreciating. I am from the jute mill area where people have been suffering due to the Centre’s unjust jute policies.”

The BJP is losing ground in the state because its politics is limited to air-conditioned rooms and social media, he claimed. “The BJP as an organisation is limited to Facebook. It is not possible to do politics only on Facebook. Ground politics is important in Bengal. I am back in the party as I was facing problems working for the development of the people of Bengal,” he added.

On holding the MP’s post as a BJP member, he said, “Two TMC MPs who joined the BJP should first resign from the post first. If they do, I too will resign. If the party asks me, I will resign in a minute.”

Abhishek Banerjee said on Twitter, “Extending a warm welcome to Arjun Singh who rejected the divisive forces… People across the nation are suffering and they need us now more than ever. Let’s keep the fight alive (sic).”

Singh has been targeting the Centre, claiming that it was neglecting the jute industry of West Bengal. He had even threatened to hit the streets if the issue of jute price capping was not resolved. He had met several Central leaders in Delhi over the issue. The Jute Commissioner had revoked the decision to cap the prices of jute.

He had also softened his stance against TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, setting the speculations that he may rejoin the party.

Earlier in the day, Arjun Singh left Bhatpara and reached a five-star hotel in Alipore where he met a friend and stayed there for about half an hour. He left for Abhishek Banerjee’s office only after getting a call from the party. Abhishek held a meeting with party leaders from Barrackpore and North 24 in his office before Singh was called in to rejoin the party.

Sources said Abhishek had serious deliberations in a meeting on whether or not Singh should be inducted in the party. The meeting was attended by minister Jyotipriya Mallick, Barrackpore MLA Raj Chakraborty and Naihati MLA Partha Bhowmik.

“I worked with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee even before she formed a party,” Singh said. In a recent interview to The Indian Express, Singh had blamed poor candidate selection for the BJP’s loss in Assembly elections last year. He had also said that the BJP workers felt abandoned by the party after it lost in the Assembly elections. “I have 165 cases against me. Half of my family members have left the state.

My supporters cannot afford to be in jail. If the party doesn’t fight, is it possible for Arjun Singh to fight with the government here? We have not been able to help our workers. So, many lost their jobs, you also need money to fight court cases,” Singh, then with BJP, had said.
The Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency has a strong presence of Hindi-speaking people, many of whom work in the jute mills. Singh, a heavyweight leader from the area, has been elected to the Assembly four times on Trinamool ticket. Before the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he joined BJP and defeated Dinesh Trivedi in a closely fought contest.

Of the seven Assembly segments in the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP lost six in the state election last year.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “There is an understanding between the BJP and the TMC. All corrupt people from Mamata Banerjee’s party will eventually rejoin her.”

Taking a dig at Singh, CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “Till few months ago Mamata Banerjee described him as a criminal. He had the TMC on his right and the BJP on his left. He switches right and left.”